


Just in time

by PurrV



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Lots of Crying, M/M, mention of past attempted suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 19:03:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7904107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurrV/pseuds/PurrV
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off a prompt of Drift and Rodimus confessing their feelings after what happened on Delphi. Nothing NSFW, just two cute mechs getting upset and confessing</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just in time

Drift stared up at the brightly coloured ceiling the med bay provided, and sighed heavily. He wasn’t in an all too good mood, and at present nothing could remedy it. In his current situation he should be in a grand mood, happy and full of optimism. He had just been down to Delphi, a planet where the dreaded DJD supposedly lurked, and they were looking to kill him in the slowest way possible, survived a rust virus that nearly killed him, and saved Ratchet from an Autobot medic turned physco. Heck, even Ratchet had finally at long last opened up to him a little, and even left the weary swordsmech in a private room to rest in, so he could get some peace and quiet. All major ticks in his books, all which should have made him happy, but right now he wasn’t.

Two hours had passed since he returned to the Lost Light. Two hours he had been lying in the private room all by himself. Two hours of peace and quiet, with First Aid popping in every now and then to check on him. Two whole hours… and Rodimus had yet to come down and see him.

Drift shifted a little, and looked out, through his window, into the great sea of stars, hoping that at least they would offer some comfort. He was certain that the moment he returned to the Lost Light, after all that had transpired, Rodimus would be there, sitting next to him with a cocky smile, and making certain that he was alright. So far Rodimus hadn’t even called him over his COM. He was certain that Ratchet had vocally announced that he had already informed the Captain of what happened, and that was over an hour and a half ago. Had Rodimus just decided not to bother visiting him? Even after all that had happened to him? He nearly died after all.

It hurt him to think that Rodimus had chosen not to see him, that he couldn’t be bothered to make the trip down to the med bay, to at least say “hello” or something. It made his spark twitch in pain a little, and not too long ago, Drift almost had the urge to cry, but chose not to. He had grown attached to the young Captain of the Lost Light, and cared for him so much that it gave him a floaty sensation within his spark. He thought it would be a bit much if he said that he loved him, but as the days passed, and his time with Rodimus grew, it was soon becoming clear that he had indeed fallen in love. Rodimus was just so unique, and optimistic with everything that he did, Drift could not help but fall for him. Yes, he had his faults, but he didn’t bury them like others did. He continued walking forward, determined to become better, and make amends for all the wrong that he had created. His spirit was so sincere and pure, brave and cunning, a little childish most of the time but adorable too. He was also blessed with a gorgeous frame, with all the curves and angles in all the right places. Drift was practically drawn to him.

Everyone on board had noticed how close the pair of them were, but everyone just assumed it was a growing friendship. Ultra Magnus believed that Rodimus only cared for Drift’s ongoing support and words of praise, and once he grew bored of it, he would forget about him completely. Drift ignored the grouch of a second in command, and continued with his relationship with his Captain. He did admit that it saddened him at times when Rodimus never hinted any romantic interest towards him. He had wondered if he should make the first move, but never did out of fear that Rodimus would reject him on the spot. Rodimus had stated out loud that he and Drift were good friends, despite Drift secretly wanting to be more than a friend to him. So far that was enough to know, and yet he wanted it all to go further.

Two hours and a half, and Rodimus still hadn’t turned up. He wanted to think that Rodimus was probably busy with something Ultra Magnus had tasked him with, but he had known him for too long, and assumed that he was possibly doodling on his desk out of boredom. Giving up, Drift reached for the lights, switching them off and leaving him in a dark room. His optics continued to illuminate some light, thus he dimmed them, and rested back on the berth. Placing his hands upon his chassis, where he liked placing them as he slept, he closed his optics and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Dreams slipped in and out of his slumbering mind, passing through before the swordsmech had the chance to make sense of them. Old memories popped up, reminding him of the past, and things he had never seemed before, making him wonder of the future. He saw Gasket, bearing a smile full of hope. He saw Wing, tall and proud with his sword in hand. Flashes of worlds he had never seen before, and places that felt familiar. There was also some faint sounds he could just barely make out like someone was shouting or crying. Banging and crashing. He couldn’t tell, nor did he care, he just continued to wander about in his dream world, hoping that somewhere in this vast plane, he would find what he truly wished for.

Time had passed, and Drift felt his mind returning to the world of consciousness. He slowly opened his optics, and found himself staring up at the same ceiling he had gazed at before, only this time it was dark. He slowly blinked as the rest of his body came online, and released a gentle sigh.

It was then that Drift noticed that something was off. He was still in the process of waking up, but he could still sense that something was different. Blinking a couple of times, he slowly scanned the dark room to see if anything had either been added or removed, during his sleep. The stars continued to twinkle beyond the glass window, and the monitors upon the walls carried on with their gentle hum. The door was still closed, and the energon dispenser was still full, and everything else seemed to be in place.

It was only a few seconds after he awoke that he noticed that one of his hands was no longer resting upon his chassis. His left hand was still upon his white chest just the way he left it, but his right hand, as well as his right arm, had been moved. A few seconds later still and he realised something was clutched around his right hand, and clutching it tight. Slowly raising his head, he peered over to see what was holding onto his hand.

Drift’s spark almost stopped with what he saw. Hunched over the side of his berth, his face resting against the soft sheets, and his hand squeezing Drift’s hand, was Rodimus, fast asleep.

Time seemed to have stopped, and Drift had to make certain he wasn’t still wandering about in his dreams. He blinked a few times, and he was still there. It wasn’t a delusion, it couldn’t be. Drift could feel the warmth in his hand, so he knew it had to be real. The sound of gentle venting floated through the air, and it wasn’t coming from the swordsmech. Drift was truly shocked. He wasn’t sure what to feel about all this, for he most certainly wasn’t expecting this to happen.

A couple of minutes passed, and Drift gulped. Coolant began to trickle down his face, his spark began pulsing faster, and his throat became dry. His lips trembled as he slowly parted his lips, and gently uttered his Captain’s name. “Rodimus?”

The moment he spoke that name, Rodimus’ optics snapped open. The light from his optics almost blinded Drift, and he had to use his left hand to shield his own. Rodimus slowly sat up, his optics fixated on the swordsmech. His frame creaked and groaned as it moved, with internal wires and joints snapping and clicking, meaning that he had been sitting there for a great period of time. Drift could only stare back, unable to guess what was going to come next.

“You… you…” Rodimus seemed to have trouble speaking, and his own frame was trembling. Drift just laid there, staring back at his Captain with concerned optics. “You… you… FRAGGING IDIOT!” Without warning, Rodimus let go of Drift’s hand, and slammed a fist down onto the swordmech’s abdomen.

Drift gasped in pain and grimaced, groaning in agony and clutching his assaulted frame in an attempt to ease the pain. It wasn’t that painful, and nothing was damaged, but it still took him by surprise. During this, Rodimus was screaming nonsense, spewing angry words, and slamming his fists down onto the berth, again and again. “You idiot! Do you have any idea what you did? What the frag were you thinking, you stupid selfish glitch! How dare you do that! How fragging DARE you!”

Rodimus showed no sign of stopping, and Drift knew that he had to calm him down fast, or else he could hurt himself. Dodging the failing of Rodimus’ arms, he reached for the lights, and sat up to face his Captain. In the light, Drift was able to see his Captain’s face more clearly, and to his surprise, it appeared to be stained with dry tears. Rodimus didn’t look like his normal youthful cocky self, he looked like a wreak. His optics were weary, his face was sickly pale, and he looked like he had been biting his lower lip one too many times. Even his golden fingers looked like they had been gnawed on, and his scarlet arms were covered in faint scratches. It was almost as if Rodimus had just crawled out of a living hell or something and was taking it out on him.

Reaching out, Drift grabbed Rodimus by the shoulders, and had to shake him fairly hard in order to stop his tantrum. “Rodimus, please stop,” begged Drift, “Stop and calm down for a minute, please!”

His words had thankfully aided in ceasing the young Captain from his fit, and he just sat there staring at Drift, with bitter optics. The swordsmech was still trying to figure out what he could have done to upset Rodimus in such a way.

Then, without warning, Rodimus released a choked sob and leaned forward, slowly wrapping his arms around the stunned Drift. “You are an *sob* idiot,” whimpered Rodimus, burying his face into Drift’s neck. “A stupid selfish idiot.”

With no clue on what to do or say, Drift just sat there completely stunned.,He was never prepared for a moment like this, but then who else would be prepared to have your Captain come into your room whilst you were sleeping, throw a fit, and then cry against your neck, all within the span of a minute? The young Captain sobbed and shivered against him, with no telling when he would stop. Why was he crying? Why was he angry to begin with? What was going on? He had to do something, for he could feel the tears dripping onto his shoulders and trickling down his back.

With gentle arms, he placed his hands onto Rodimus’ shoulders and, with a little force, pushed him back so he could face him. The young Captain’s face was drenched in tears, making him look like an bawling infant rather than a young adult. Rodimus was trying to cease his crying but no matter how hard he rubbed his optics, tears continued to fall but at least his loud sobs had been reduced to small sniffles.

“Rodimus,” started Drift, trying to put on a positive expression, “What is wrong? Why are you so upset?” There were more questions that Drift wanted to ask, like why he never bothered to show up when he returned from Delphi, but for now he focused on the current issue.

Rodimus actually scowled at him upon hearing the swordmech’s query. “What do you mean, why I’m upset?” he snapped, wiping his optics once more. “I thought you… I thought…” Rodimus shivered and sobbed again, hiding his face behind his hands. “I thought I lost you,” he said finally.

Drift felt his spark twitch after hearing that. “Lost me?” he repeated, a little confused.

The young Captain bit back a sob. “When your ship came back, I was waiting for you to come up and give me a report,” explained Rodimus, his voice now a little clearer. “I waited but you never came, so I assumed you were getting decontaminated or something. When a couple of hours passed I tried calling the med bay, but no one responded.” Rodimus wiped his face clean as best he could. “Then Ultra Magnus pointed out that Ratchet had sent me a report, and so I took a peek and… and it said you contracted a fatal disease. I ran down as fast as I could, and when I saw you lying on the berth like that I thought… I thought you were…” Rodimus never finished the sentence, but it was crystal clear what he had assumed.

Drift sat there shocked after what he he heard, and soon a clear picture of what had transpired on Rodimus’ end came into his mind, and he wasn’t far off from the truth. Rodimus did indeed wait for Drift to come and give him his own report, and assumed that the swordsmech was just going through decontamination after returning from Delphi. Decontamination could take a while, thus at the time Rodimus didn’t suspect anything was wrong, but as more time time passed he began to worry. He tried to contact the med bay but no one responded, mainly because at the time Ratchet was showing First Aid and Ambulon around their new home. Growing even more concerned, Rodimus took Ultra Magnus’ advice and read the report Ratchet had sent him. Rodimus wasn’t a fan of reading such reports, and everyone knew it, but it was the only way he could get information about what had happened. Skimming a few lines, his spark nearly stopped when he came across a sentence about Drift, stating the following, “…Drift contracted a fatal rust virus…” Without even reading the rest, Rodimus bolted to the med bay like a mad mech. He bursted in, angering Ratchet who was trying to get the two new medics settled in. The young Captain ran about the med bay desperately looking for Drift until he found him in a private room, lying upon a berth in such a way anyone would assume he was dead. He then proceeded to scream and cry, believing that his friend had passed. He started hitting the walls in rage and sobbing like crazy, acting as if the universe had come to an end. He even shouted at Ratchet, cursing him for not being able to save Drift, but then the old medic smacked him across the face and dragged him into a corner to explain what had really happened. Once Rodimus had somewhat calmed down, he politely asked if he could stay until Drift awoke. Ratchet, stunned that the young Captain actually asked him politely, agreed and left them alone.

Now here he was, still crying with no hint of stopping and he was clearly still angry about something. “Ratchet told me everything,” stammered Rodimus, wiping his optics once more. He then glared at Drift and repeated the word, “everything,” with an angry and hurt tone.

Drift blinked, not sure what Rodimus meant, until it hit him. Back on Delphi, when Drift was succumbing to the rust virus and dreading the arrival of the DJD, he attempted to request a mercy killing from Ratchet. The swordsmech thought back to that moment, that moment where he became terrified of living. Before, he acted like he did not fear the DJD but he was just fooling himself, for every Decepticon who betrayed the cause feared the monstrous group and their twisted version of justice. He was already suffering from having his insides rust away, and didn’t want to suffer anymore than he needed to. Yes he was being selfish, but who could blame him? Was that why Rodimus was angry? Because he wanted someone to end his life?

The swordsmech sighed as Rodimus tried to calm himself. “I’m sorry,” he croaked, patting the young Captain on the shoulder, “I was just caught in the moment, and I got scared. I didn’t want to die but back then, I was too scared to live.”

That didn’t seem to help make Rodimus feel any better, and the young Captain sniffled once more. “That was still selfish of you,” he snapped, “Didn’t you even consider how I would feel?”

The room went silent after that, with the exception of the Captain’s small sobs, and Drift just stared at Rodimus, his face expressing his shock. “R-Rodimus?” he stammered, “What are you saying?”

Rodimus then shivered, and once again wiped his fresh tears away. “Remember back on Cybertron, when you almost killed yourself to save us?”

It wasn’t a memory that Drift wasn’t keen to revisit, but he did recall of how he almost succumbed to the Decepticon programming, that would have forced him to kill his new friends. In an attempt to stop himself from hurting anyone, he stabbed himself with his own blade. Rodimus was there when it happened. “I remember,” he confirmed in a calm voice.

Rodimus bit back another sob. “I knew saving the universe was top priority at the time, but at the same time I wanted to save you.” Rodimus shifted a little from where he sat. “I kept telling myself that you would have just told me to go on, so I did. The whole time I was fighting Galvatron with Optimus, I kept thinking I lost you. After it was all over, I found out you were ok and I was so relieved. I then promised myself that I would do everything in my power to keep you safe from harm because…” Rodimus then looked at Drift with watery optics and a broken face. “…because you mean so much to me Drift.”

Drift could have sworn his spark just imploded after hearing those words from Rodimus’ lips, and he almost didn’t register the gentle hug Rodimus was giving him, his tear stained face once again burying itself into his neck. Was it true? All this time his friend, his Captain, bore feelings for him? He knew Rodimus had a hard time expressing how he really felt, but he never would have guessed that he cared for him so. His arms slowly returned a gentle hug, and he rested his helm against Rodimus’ as he carefully stroked his Captain’s back. “I.. I really mean that much to you?” he asked, wanting to confirm what he just heard.

Rodimus nodded against him. “Of course you do,” croaked the young Captain, hugging Drift even tighter than before. “You’re more than just a friend to me, and I just want to keep you safe. From Ultra Magnus, from those Autobots who still doubt you, and even from the DJD. Just please don’t leave me.”

Drift was speechless, and he had to bite back a funny sound that tried to escape his throat. He wanted to smile. He wanted to cry. A wave of endless emotions crashed over him, and he honestly didn’t know what to do or say. He just held Rodimus in his arms, holding him like a precious treasure he feared he would lose. “You… you mean a lot to me too,” he finally said.

The young Captain trembled, almost violently, against him upon hearing that and quietly sobbed against him. Nothing else was said after that. They held each other in a clumsy lovers embrace, both of them refusing to let go of the other. Eventually Rodimus feel asleep against him, and Drift scooted back down onto the berth so he could lay down. Rodimus still held him tight, even in his sleep and Drift held him back even tighter, almost scared that if he let go a Rodimus would vanish. Soon the swordsmech fell back into a slumber, praying that if this all was just a dream he would never wake up. They laid together in that dark room, arms and legs tangled with each other, and dreaming different dreams. That night they let lose their emotions, acting out of character, but tomorrow Rodimus would be back to his arrogant confident self and Drift would return to his calm and composed manner. The only difference would be that the two were now aware of how much they loved each other.


End file.
